After a tumultuous 16 months as chief advisor to the Prime Minister, Dominic Cummings has stepped down from his role with immediate effect. On the 13th of November, he was seen leaving No. 10 Downing Street, carrying a cardboard box. His exit came after a rise to becoming one of the most high-profile and ill-famed advisors in UK politics.
Boris Johnson worked with Dominic Cummings during the Vote Leave campaign for Brexit in 2016, and Cummings was then hired as senior advisor when Johnson became PM in 2019.
Sources have stated that Cummings was told to step down by the Prime Minister , possibly following accusations he had briefed against Johnson, while others said it was due to a series of communication crises. Special advisors and MPs were said to be delighted by his departure. It remains unclear whether Cummings resigned or was asked to step down, but it is clear that Cummings has had a contentious year as senior adviser.
In June, the Prime Minister was accused of wasting political capital by refusing to fire Cummings for breaking lockdown restrictions to travel from London to Durham, (as revealed by the Guardian and Daily Mirror) causing unrest from constituents. In the Conservative Party, Cummings has undoubtedly made a bad impression for himself, and has become a massive public focus.
As the government's handling of the pandemic came under increasing attack, MPs became more convinced that there needed to be change in No 10 - with Cummings at the top of the list - and they grew more determined in making that case to Boris Johnson. The turmoil comes in the middle of a pandemic whose UK death toll surpassed 50,000 this week, and days from a looming Brexit deal deadline.
Dominic Cummings had a notoriously difficult relationship with Conservative MPs, several of whom have welcomed his exit and said it was time for things to be done differently in Downing Street.
Written by Ty
Artwork by Sophia Patterson
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